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Technology Stocks : The *NEW* Frank Coluccio Technology Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dennis O'Bell who wrote (2218)	3/3/2001 6:51:27 PM
From: axial	Respond to of 46821

Hi, Dennis - "notably the way they bought in to the audio CD and then DVD media. I know what happened with videocassettes, Hollywood was opposed but they proliferated anyhow and in fact made the film industry a lot of money thru renewed interest in films. The arguments against CDs, 8-track, tape, VHS, DVD, and who knows what else have always ben shortsighted, and therefore, bogus, IMO. I can't back up my case with statistics, but the widespread availability of different media, and the ability of people to copy material hasn't stopped the growth, profitablity, and increased market penetration of the music industry one bit. Long ago, when I was 16, these same tired arguments came out against tape; since then it's been just a constant repetition of an argument that has no basis in fact. Yes, people, especially people who are trying to save a buck, will copy illegally. But for the (constantly growing) majority of people the ability to drop into this or that store, buy or rent a movie or a piece of music that is as good as the day it was new, quickly, easily and cheaply is the primary motivator. Most people have neither the time nor the inclination to spend endless hours obtaining pristine copies of some kind of entertainment and copying it, never mind distributing it. That is not to say that the activity does not occur. But by the time most people reach their 30's, when they can't spare 5 minutes for anything unprofitable, they are buying copies of music they bootlegged when they were 18. Hell, most people can't remember (if they know how) to turn their VCRs on at the right time. As far as making illegal copies of movies, well, I've known a few who've done it. What do they have now? A big collection of unwatched movies, collecting dust. Yes, there is an argument for copyright protection, and a good one. The death of the entertainment industries, promoted by the spread of the different media, is hard to see: almost invisible, I'd say. Regards, Jim